Marcius transfer story may have another twist

Just when we thought Sandi Marcius’ decision to leave the Purdue basketball program appeared to be difficult to explain, the story may have yet another twist.

Four days after the Boilermakers’ season-ending loss to Santa Clara, the 6-foot-9 Marcius asked coach Matt Painter for the release from his scholarship so that he could transfer to another university for his final season of eligibility after completing his undergraduate degree this summer.

Purdue forward Sandi Marcius dunks during an 86-83 loss to Santa Clara University in a College Basketball Invitational tournament game on Monday, March 25, 2013, at Mackey Arena.

Painter, who really wanted Marcius back for the 2013-2014 season, told the redshirt junior to think about the request and let Painter know what he wanted to do when the coach returned from the Final Four in Atlanta.

The answer was obvious on April 10 when Marcius did not attend the season-ending banquet. The next day, Purdue made it official, announcing that Painter had granted Marcius a release from his scholarship, which ends with the completion of first-semester classes and final examinations.

But now, there’s a report, and I believe this to be true, that Marcius would be required to pay $7,000 in fees to complete the two summer classes he needs to graduate from Purdue. Without his Purdue undergraduate diploma, there’s no way the NCAA will allow Marcius to transfer to another school to play what amounts to a fifth and final year of athletic eligibility.

If Marcius planned to return to Purdue for the 2013-2014, as he said in March was his plan, I’m sure the athletic department, which pays for all scholarships without state assistance, would gladly come up with the $7,000 tuition and fees costs.

But those Purdue fans on message boards and Twitter on Monday, especially those who belong to the John Purdue Club and whose donations fund scholarships, are up in arms, saying that if Marcius isn’t going to be a Boilermaker next season, there is no way they want a single JPC penny paying for his summer school.

Marcius is a kid of humble means from Croatia. I can’t see it being possible that he can come up with $7,000, unless he takes out some kind of loan to pay for two remaining classes.

I sent Marcius a text late this afternoon asking for a comment, but as of right now, I have not heard back from him. Media members will have an opportunity to visit with Painter on Tuesday morning, at which time, hopefully, the coach will shed some additional light on what has become a somewhat complicated story.

There’s a side of me that feels badly for the young man, but at the same time, I can understand why JPC folks and university employees don’t want to shell out $7,000 to a kid who wants to use that money to graduate in order to transfer to another school for the 2013-2014 season and possibly play against Purdue.

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About Jeff Washburn

I just completed my 18th season covering Purdue men's basketball for the Journal and Courier. Overall, I've been in the profession for almost 40 years, starting here as an 18-year-old college freshman. My wife, Cheryl, is a special educator, and our only child, son Jade, is an 18-year-old freshman majoring in journalism at the University of Missouri in Columbia, Mo. When I'm not watching or covering basketball, I enjoy traveling — Las Vegas and Florida are my favorite destinations — and I also love movies and playing Blackjack. My favorite sports are basketball, baseball, football, golf and tennis. For those into the zodiac signs, I'm a Virgo — Sept. 20, 1954.